Built With Lies
by SwitzerlandBri
Summary: Selena Fitzgerald is a 22 year old girl who just wants to fit in somewhere. What starts off as the worst day of her life, turns into the most exciting when she finds the God of Mischief unconscious in her bed. The annoying, arrogant, but strikingly handsome Loki Laufeyson tells lie after lie in order to get what he wants, which may lead to power, chaos, and a broken heart.
1. Chapter 1

"Selena, if I could dare to bother you for a just a moment, I was explaining to the class, quite wonderfully, if I do say so myself, the problems with Freud's psychoanalysis theories."

Professor McGreggor snapped Selena out of her reverie. She was daydreaming out the window, looking out at the rain, wondering how her day could get any worse.

"Would you care to reiterate one of the points I just made?" McGreggor asked, with a smirk, crossing his arms in front of his beer belly.

Selena stared up at the man that stood in front of her desk. He looked very much like a polished ostrich egg. He was very large and round, bald, and had beady black eyes, which looked down at her like she didn't deserve to be in his class. Which, to be honest, she didn't.

Everyone here at the prestigious university got here because their rich daddies donated large amounts of money for the campus to "use as necessary." Selena, who couldn't afford to put gas in her lime green, Volkswagen beetle, was here solely because of a very generous scholarship. And everyone knew it.

"Umm, I, uh…" she stuttered, pushing a frizzy dark brown strand of hair behind her ear. "Freud, th-thought that, uh, women wanted to have male body parts. Which, I think, is just gross."

The whole class snickered, and Selena turned bright red. McGreggor was not amused.

"Miss Fitzgerald, if you wanted to be the class clown, perhaps you would've fared better in community college," he sneered, turning on his heel, and returning to the front of the classroom.

Selena's heart dropped. She knew she didn't belong. With her hand-me-down sneakers and frayed jeans, she stuck out from all the designer bags and Luis Viton sunglasses. Maybe she would've fared better at one of the local colleges in Kansas. But Maddox University was one of the best in the entire country, and she always strived for the best. And it wasn't like she was stupid or anything. Valedictorian of her class wasn't anything to look down at. It was just this stupid school code that said everyone needed to take a social studies course before they could graduate. She'd been putting it off for so long because, well, frankly, she sucked at it. And now it was her last year and the only thing standing between her and her degree was this psychology class with the professor from hell.

* * *

After class, Selena slid into her car and turned the key. _Great, almost no gas. With almost no money. _She looked into her wallet and found one lone $20 bill. _Guess it's Ramen night. _

The car ride home was a silent one. Selena didn't want to talk to anyone. They would all just want to talk about her douchebag ex-boyfriend. She didn't want to turn on the radio. All she would hear is either a whiny song by Carly Rae Jepsen or "news" about the New York alien invasion, which is all they've been talking about for five months. She just wanted to sit there in silence.

She stopped by her job after getting gas to see if they needed her to come in, but turns out, not a lot of people were buying books at Barnes and Noble on Halloween. Now there was nothing to distract her from her thoughts. She thought about going to see a movie, but thought against it. What if she saw Derek and Stacy out together, and they noticed her there alone? _Pathetic, _they would think.

"Guess it's just me and my books tonight," she sighed, pulling into her driveway. She couldn't even look forward to the company of trick-or-treaters, since she didn't have enough money to buy a bag of candy.

She walked up the pathway, daydreaming about when she could start replacing the old shingles, chipped paint, and perhaps design a new wing to the old farmhouse. The night was strangely quiet, even though she lived off the main road, surrounded by a thin border of trees. Usually she heard some birds chirping or a car or two. Maybe even a stray jogger. But today, nothing. It was like the whole world was holding its breath.

Selena stood on her porch, keys and hand, looking around. "Everything seems okay," she murmured to herself, unlocking her door.

She placed her keys on the coffee table in the small but cozy living room and flopped on the couch, staring at the ceiling. _What a day. _Just then, "Sexy and I Know It" went off in her coat pocket.

"I desperately need to change my ringtone," Selena said, fishing the flip phone out. "Hello?"

"Lena, are seriously still mad at Stacy?" asked a gruff voice on the other end.

Selena leaned forward and actually looked at the phone. "Did you _seriously_ just ask me that, Jason?"

"Are you _seriously_ gonna mope about this? You two have been close friends for almost four years now. Since you were freshmen."

"Which is why I'm gonna mope about it! She slept with my boyfriend!" She knew there was no point in arguing with him. Jason had had a crush on Stacy since she had accidently bumped into him in the hallway a few weeks after breast implants. She practically walked on water to him.

"Do you know that for sure?" he asked pointedly.

"She was naked and asleep in his bed!"

"Oh."

"Yeah."

A moment of silence.

"Well, maybe…" he started.

"No, no maybes, Jason. I'm done with her. She and Derek have been taking advantage of me since the day I met them. Always using me for tutoring. Always needing advice. Always making excuses of why they can't do stuff with me. No, I'm done with them both. And if you are gonna be like this and take their side, then I'm done with you too," she stated and before she could change her mind, she slammed the phone shut and chucked it into a pillow on the other side of the couch.

All of a sudden, Selena was exhausted. The events of the week just seemed to circle around in her head making her dizzy. She just needed sleep, even though it was only, according to her $5 Iron Man watch, 6:30. Friday night, especially Halloween Friday Night, is meant for parties, meeting cute non-cheater boys, and dressing up ridiculously with no judgment. But since Selena was virtually a social outcast, and, frankly, just didn't want to be bothered, she slowly dragged herself upstairs and down the hallway to her bedroom.

The first thing she noticed was the glass.

There were little shiny shards of glass coming from her bedroom door. She paused, all of her muscles tense. She couldn't hear anything, nothing at all, except the trees rustling outside. She took a step and silently cursed the old wooden planks for squeaking under her feet. She made it to her door, took a deep breath, and peered around the doorframe.

Everything was in place. Nothing looked stolen or moved. But Selena didn't take that into account. All she saw was the glass on the ground, the window with the gaping hole in the center, and slender, raven-haired man passed out on her Hello Kitty sheets.

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**Please Review! - SB**


	2. Chapter 2

His head felt strange, as though Thor had struck Mjolnir into it a thousand times. And the surface of which it laid on was far too soft. He felt as though he could fall through to the other side at any moment. Pain shot through his side and for a terrifying second, he couldn't breathe. He very slowly opened his eyes.

He was in a dark, small room covered with photographs and sketches of half built buildings and monuments of all shapes and sizes. The walls were painted a soft yellow and the furniture was some dark Midgardian wood that he didn't care to name.

"Excuse me," said a soft, shaky female voice.

Loki sprang to his feet, only to flop back down again due to the pain that instantly spread through his body. A moan involuntarily escaped his lips as he held his head in his hands.

"If you're here to rob me, I promise you I have absolutely no money or valuables," stated the voice. Loki looked up. The female was looking at him through hazel eyes like she could be startled off at any second. Her hands shook as she brushed a strand of long, tangled, brown hair out of her face. She was of average Midgardian female height but curvier than most. She carried no visible weapons and possessed no known power that he could detect, so Loki relaxed his muscles.

"I am not here to rob you," he said slowly. _Pathetic creature, _he added in his mind. He stood up, carefully this time, and paused as his vision blurred.

"Then why are you here?" the female asked, crossing her arms over her light blue sweater.

Loki tried to think of a lie that wouldn't alarm the girl. Which was quite difficult to do, seeing as everything might alarm her. "I am here because I have no where else to go."

The girl's eyes widened. "No where else to go? As in…. you're homeless?"

_Yes, creature. Are you daft? _"Yes. You see, I've come very far and I have no money for residence."

"So, you decided to crash through my window and sleep on my bed?" she said, skeptically.

Loki glanced at the damaged window. "Yes, well, I apologize about that. It shall be fixed."

There was a pause as the girl looked the raven-haired man up and down.

"What's your name?"

Loki said the first Midgardian name he could think of. "Chuck."

"Well, Chuck, I hope you realize how sketchy it is to just hop into someone's bed, especially when you don't know them, and especially when you break their property in the process."

_Sketchy? _"Yes. I realize and I apologize. But I require your assistance. Temporarily, of course."

The girl thought about. "Fix the window and you might be able to stay here for a few days."

For a moment, Loki was blinded by rage. How dare a puny mortal order a Prince of Asgard around! But then he remembered, that he was now reduced to being a mortal, and was greatly hindered by his wounds.

"I will do so gladly, however, I require _medical _assistance at the moment," he said, lifting up his soiled black shirt to reveal a deep gash running from his top rib to his hipbone.

The girl gasped. "Oh my god, I gotta call the hospital!" She began to run from the room.

"NO!" Loki yelled. The girl froze in terror. He rethought the action. "Apologies. I just don't think it's that big of a problem. And it doesn't hurt that much," he lied.

"Are you afraid of hospitals?" she asked, sympathetically.

_I'm not afraid of anything, you mewling quim. _"Yes. Absolutely terrified."

"Then let's see what I can do here," she said, stepping towards him. "And my name is, Selena, by the way."

* * *

"Thor, Loki has escaped."

Thor looked up from his meal and looked at the prison guard with contempt. "What do you mean he has escaped? I thought there were a hundred guards on duty surrounding him!"

The guard swallowed audibly. "Yes, your highness, there were, however, they seem to all, have, um, well, uh…"

"Stop your stammering, and tell me what happened," Thor said impatiently.

"I went to take over for one of guards that were guarding the prison door and, to my surprise, there was no one outside. The building was completely isolated, save for this strange green ash that littered the soil."

Thor froze. _Oh, Loki, what have you done? _"And inside," he said softly, knowing the answer.

"There was no official inside, either. The gate to the dungeon was blown apart as well, and there was no sign of Loki anywhere."

Thor sighed and stared into his gold goblet. "Tell me. Did you see more of this green ash inside?"

"Yes, your highness. It was everywhere, especially on the remnants of the dungeon gate," the guard said professionally. "If I may say so, I am surprised. The gate has been enchanted to never open without a prison guard key, and the guards never come anywhere close to the dungeon aside from issuing the daily punishment."

Thor shivered. "Yes, I'm aware of the spell. However, we always do underestimate my brother, don't we?" He sighed. "Rally the troops. Search all of Asgard for Loki and issue out a level 5 danger warning."

"Right away, your highness." The guard bowed and left to complete his orders.

Knowing that they would never find Loki anywhere near Asgard, Thor pushed back his chair and went to prepare for his trip to Earth.

* * *

_I swear to Valhalla that I will wait until you are old and weak, then I will make you watch as I place your grandchildren and children in vat of acid. _"Ow," Loki said though his teeth.

"Sorry," said Selena, distractedly. She was focusing on not stabbing him with the needle too hard as she stitched up his wound. She wasn't too successful. "You know, if you went to a hospital like I told you to, you would be numb when someone did this."

Loki winced. "As I said before, I…_fear _hospitals." The only reason he didn't want to visit the Midgardian excuse for a professional medical facility was because they would have a lot of questions to ask him. Questions that he really didn't care to be bothered with. Furthermore, someone there may recognize him from his…incident earlier on in the year. "I would rather be here suffering than in that dreadful place," he said truthfully. The girl smiled up at him as if he had made a joke.

"There," she took small silver scissors and cut the thread she was using. "All done."

Loki stood up and glanced down at the girl's work. It seemed sufficient enough. "Gratitude." He glanced at the mortal as he took his shirt from the bed and put it on. She was staring at his stomach in a strange way. "What is it?"

She looked up at him, startled. "Nothing," she said quickly. She stood up and adjusted her sweater.

Loki stared at her for a moment then shook his head. He would never understand Midgard, especially its women.

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**Please review! - SB**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to my reviewers! You guys are awesome. I actually have a little task for you: if you could write in a review something you would like to see Loki experience or do in future chapters, that would be cool. Some chapters are going to be nothing but plot but a few are going to need to be slightly filler-ish. So thanks in advance for that. IronBell: I stole your line about Chuck cuz it was awesome. :) Enjoy!**

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_Chuck? Chuck? Really, Loki, that's the best you could come up with?_

Selena stared at the God of Mischief over her cup of coffee. She was sitting on an old wooden chair in her room, watching him attempt to fix the hole in the window. Unsuccessfully, of course.

"You know, I could help you, if you want," she said, trying not to laugh, as Loki banged his thumb with the hammer as he tried to put up the plywood.

He looked at her through cold green eyes. "I have accomplished many great things in my existence. Things that no one on this…not many men can do. I will put this blasted wood on this accursed window if it takes me all night," he declared.

She giggled and he glared at her. She shook her head. Selena couldn't believe this was happening to her. Someone that was on TV was in her house. Of course he was a serial killer, but that was beside the point. She had recognized him as soon as she saw his face. Back in May, she had seen a close up of him standing on top of Stark Tower in NY wearing what looked like deer antlers.

"Hey, where are you from, Chuck?" she asked innocently. She was going to make this hard for him. She had to see what he was here for. She didn't know what had happened to him after Thor took him back to their home planet, but she knew his return couldn't be good.

Loki paused. "I am from a different country than this one."

_Hmmm, he's smarter than I thought. _He had realized that his accent was different from the standard American. And his dialect and word structure was almost Shakespearean.

"Which one?"

"England." _Crap. He's good. _

"Why did you decide to come to America?"

He turned around and faced her. "Better opportunities. Now, if you mind, I need to focus on this task. It seems to be more difficult than I thought."

Selena got up and rolled her eyes. "Yes, your highness," she said sarcastically. Loki stared wide-eyed at her.

"What did you call me?"

She looked up at him. "What? 'Your highness'? It's a phrase. Have you never heard it before?"

He blinked and then turned back to his work. "Oh, yes, I have. It's just…nevermind," he shrugged, picking up another piece of wood.

Selena stared at the man in front of her and tried to make connections to what she had seen on the news. He was different now. He looked more…human. His skin was still pale and perfect, except now he had little cuts all over his face. He had gotten rid of the metal and leather and replaced it with a black V-neck and black jeans. Come to think of it, everything he had was black: black sneakers, black belt, black hair. The only thing about him that wasn't black was his white, marble skin and bright green eyes. He reminded her of the gothic kids from high school.

The phone rang in the kitchen, snapping her out of her assessment. She walked down the hall and checked the caller ID. She sighed and answered.

"What do you want, Derek?" she asked tiredly.

"Hey, babe, whatcha been up to?" he asked cockily.

Selena closed her eyes and leaned her head on the refrigerator. "What do you want, Derek?" she asked again.

"Oh, come on. Don't be like that, puffin. I thought we could go to Tyler's Halloween party together."

_Ew. _"Why don't you ask Stacy to go with you? I'm sure she'd love to."

"I don't want to go with Stacy. I want to go with you," he said sweetly.

_Double ew. _"Well, I'm sorry. I don't want to go with you. And besides, I have plans already."

"Oh, yeah? Whatcha doin'?" Derek challenged.

Selena rubbed her forehead. "I, uh, um, I have a date."

There was a moment of silence. "Really?" he said skeptically.

"Yeah, really." She was angry that he sounded so doubtful. She could have dates. If she wanted.

"With who?"

"You don't know him."

"What's his name?"

She paused. "Chuck."

"Chuck. Where are you and Chuck going?"

"I don't have to tell you, Derek."

"I just wanna make sure that he's taking you somewhere nice, is all."

_Liar. _She sighed. "Well, if you must know, we might go to the Halloween Carnival. In Lawrence. But, you know, whatever. It may change," she shrugged.

"Huh. The carnival."

"Yeah."

"Well, maybe I'll see you there."

Selena froze. "What?"

"Yeah. Stacy had asked me if I wanted to go earlier. And now that I'm not going to the party, I don't have an excuse."

"Derek…"

"I gotta go, puffin. See you soon," he said cheerily. Then he hung up.

"Damn," Selena said into the phone.

"You are a horrible liar."

Selena jumped and spun around. Loki was sitting on a bar stool at the island, with his head lying on his hands, watching her like a cat watches a mouse.

"You know, you could make a sound or something when you walk in a room," she said hanging up the phone, trying to catch her breath.

He ignored her. "He knows you're lying," he said blankly. "You pause too much before your sentences. You also breathe really loudly."

She stared at him. "Do I?"

"Yes."

"What are you? The lying police?" she said, plopping in a stool across from him.

Loki smirked. "Something like that."

"Well, officer, because of my horrible deception skills, I now have to show up to the carnival with a really attractive date or Derek will think that there's still a chance of us getting back together."

"Is there?" Loki asked.

"No, not at all."

He just stared at her.

"What? There isn't! He cheated on me!"

"Well, if that is the case, then I take it you wish to go to this…carnival?"

Selena tried not to look too eager. "Yes."

Loki sighed. "And I take it you would like me to accompany you?"

She was going to explode. "Yes."

He sat back in the chair and looked around the small kitchen, uninterested. "Fine."

Selena beamed. "OH MY GOD! THANK YOU SO MUCH! YOU ARE THE BEST EVER!"

She reached over the island and before he could react, threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. After about five seconds, she realized he wasn't moving. At all. Very slowly she looked into his face. He looked like he was trying not to toss her into the opposite wall.

"Sorry," she said, extracting herself. "I'm a hugger."

"I see," he said, glaring at her. "However, before you attack me again, know that this arrangement comes with a price."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What is it?" she asked warily.

Loki smiled sinisterly. "I will not be required to finish the window."

She smiled. "Deal."

"Wait, I am not finished. I will not be ordered around like some servant just because I require your assistance."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Sure."

"I will stay here indefinitely until I make other arrangements."

Selena paused and played with a strand with her hair. "Okay, but I don't know if I make enough money to cover food and such for both of us," she muttered.

He waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, you mustn't worry about that," he said.

That made her a little wary but she nodded.

"And lastly, you can't tell any one that I'm staying here."

_Because you're a fugitive. _"Why? Not even my friends?"

"No. No one must know."

"Alright," she said finally. She'd find out why he was there on her own. It wasn't like she could call the police, anyway. He'd probably kill everyone at the station. Which reminded her that she needed to be careful around him. It seemed like he needed her alive but who knows with mass murderers. Maybe this was part of some creepy game he was playing.

"So, is this a pact?" he asked, looking her in the eye, holding out his hand. Even though this was just a handshake, it seemed like something bad would happen if this deal were broken.

"It's a pact," she said, shaking his hand.

"Very well. Now what should one do to get ready for an event such as this one?" Loki asked. He seemed more relaxed now that everything was settled.

Selena smiled at him. "You're gonna need a costume."

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**Please review! - SB**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter is a little short and filler-y because I expect next chapter to be kind of long and plot-y. Also, I posted a link to Selena's costume on my profile. I really don't think Loki's costume needs a picture. Every version of it is pretty much the same. Enjoy and review! :)**

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_Look at the wretched urchins. They're all staring at me, like my sole purpose on this detestable planet is to entertain them. _

"Chuck, would you please stop looking so disgusted with everyone?" Selena pleaded, pulling at her tiara. "Try to have a little fun."

"Fun? I should have fun? I'm dressed as a pillager of the sea," Loki fumed. "Everyone's staring."

Selena smiled and glanced at the gawking females around her. "They're staring because you look nice. And Zorro's not really a pirate. Not technically."

They were standing just past the ticket booth, next to a row of carnival games. Selena had dragged him into what Midgardians called a "costume store". It seemed more like a dressing room for jesters. Everything inside for males either revealed too much skin for Loki or was too much of a hassle to put on, aside from this so-called "Zorro" costume. According to Selena, humans liked to dress up in ridiculous attire on the 31st day of the tenth month of the year and consume large amounts of candy and other foods. It was baffling.

"Is it really necessary for me to wear this mask? Or this hat?" Loki grumbled. It was bad enough that he had to wear the belt and extremely fitting leather pants. The cape and sword were tolerable, though. Even it was made of plastic.

Selena rolled her eyes at him. She said she was a "fairy", of some sort, which meant she had to wear a pink corset, wings, white fishnet stockings, and a pink skirt. "Fine. You can take the hat off if you want. Though, it does frame your killer jawline quite nicely."

Loki resisted a smile. Maybe he'd keep it on for a bit. "So, what do we do now that we are here?" he asked impatiently. "I just see a lot of people conversing and walking about."

Selena looked around. "Well, mostly people play games and go on rides, and such." She grinned slyly. "But, of course, you've been to carnivals in England, right?"

"Oh, right, of course. I, just, wondered about the American customs here."

"Right." Loki just stared at her. "How about we get warmed up with some games?" Before giving him a chance to reply, she took his arm and led him a few steps down the pathway, towards a booth. Loki tried not to cringe at the physical contact. The person in charge of the game was a young teenager in a red vest that was, very obviously, dealing with an acne problem.

"Hey!" said Selena cheerily. "What do we have to do here?" There was a bag of baseballs sitting next to the boy's barstool. Tin bottles were stacked up in groups of three in a line towards the back of the booth.

"You have to hit the bottles with a ball. Knock all three of 'em down, get a prize," he said apathetically, filing his dirty fingernails. "Five dollars for three balls."

Selena turned towards Loki. "Want to play, Chuck?" She held out a five-dollar bill to him.

"No, you go ahead." He had no idea whose filthy hands had been on those pellets.

She shrugged and handed the teenager the five dollars. He sighed, put the money in a red can, and very slowly extracted three balls from the bag. "Good luck," he said sarcastically, handing them to Selena.

"Thanks," she said. She laid two of the balls on the counter in front of her and held the last one in both her hands. She paused then tossed it toward the middle stack of bottles. It bounced off the top bottle and landed on the floor, knocking none of the bottles down.

"Bummer," the teenager snickered. Selena glared at him and tried for the bottles a second time. Same effect.

"Crap, this is gonna be a waste of five dollars," she muttered, grabbing the last ball in her hands.

The boy shrugged and smiled, showing yellow teeth. "Not a total waste. I can put five dollars worth of gas in my truck," he laughed.

Selena frowned.

Loki looked from one human to the other. He usually didn't care about the internal affairs of mortals. However, he felt the urge to wipe the ignorant, unworthy smirk off of the boy's face. But since he was incognito and also without magic, he had to settle for a more moral approach.

"Selena, may I try at this game with your last ball?" he said as innocently as he could.

"Yeah, sure," she said, handing him the ball. "You'll probably do better than I would."

_Oh, you think so? _Loki thought sarcastically. He quickly inspected the sphere, making sure there wasn't any noticeable vermin on the surface. Not seeing in any, he stepped up to the counter. Without taking his eyes off of the teenager, he flicked his wrist and let go of the ball. It went flying into the stack, making them all crash to the ground, and also creating a sizable dent in the wood on the other side.

"Dude, w-what the hell?" the boy stammered, getting up and inspecting the damage.

Loki placed a hand on his chest. "I'm sorry. Was that not how you play the game?" he asked wide-eyed.

Selena stared at him and grinned. "Wow."

Loki smirked. "I do believe you get a prize," he said, looking up at the string of stuffed animals on top of the both. "Which one would you like?"

"No, man. That's all you. Which one do you want?"

He looked at her. _Oh, well. What would be the harm of humoring her? _He glanced up again and reached for a medium sized lime green tiger. "Excuse me, boy, but I'm taking this plush animal here," he called.

"Yeah, whatever," the boy mumbled, returning back to his stool.

Loki gathered his prize and he and Selena strolled away from the booth, further into the carnival.

"What will you name it, Chuck?" she asked.

"What?"

"Your tiger. You have to name it."

_Silly Midgardian customs. _"Ah." He thought for a moment. "I will name it…Thor," he said softly.

Selena froze and looked up at him, but he was gazing intently at the stuffed animal.

"Thor?"

"Yes."

"After the superhero?"

He glanced at her then returned to the tiger. "Yes, well, he is…one of my favorites, I suppose."

"Oh," she said gently. She didn't know what to think. Was he going to rip off his head later and soak it in bleach? Maybe light on fire? She had no idea what was going through his mind right now but in that moment Loki didn't seem like a serial killer. He seemed like man who had lost everything. "Well, I think that's a lovely name for it," she said after a while.

Loki didn't reply. He was thinking of a former time when he and Thor played games of their own. Games that involved swords and shields and magic, and often brought many wounds, but always ended in laughter and a feeling of happiness.

But those times were over. He had to focus on the current situation now. The days of laughing with his "brother" were over. And the revenge of Loki had only just begun.

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**Please review! - SB**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, friends! Here is chapter five. It's not as long as I thought it was going to be but whatevs. Stacy's costume is posted on my profile, along with Selena's. Loki and Derek's don't really need a picture. Toodles! - SB**

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Loki and Selena played a few more carnival booth games, with Loki pretending he was Chuck from England and Selena pretending he wasn't a serial killer alien. She persuaded him to play the clown water-shooting game, which, whether he admitted it or not, he enjoyed. However, he would not, on any circumstances, test his strength by hitting the bell with the giant hammer. It was "a barbaric form of entertainment that isn't an accurate measure of physical ability, whatsoever."

After a few games, Selena dragged Loki into the bumper cars, but he was banned after five minutes for threatening a six-year old girl with pigtails.

Selena laughed. "Could you just behave yourself for, like, an hour?" They were headed towards the Ferris wheel, which was in the center of the carnival, and marked the beginning of the Halloween section. Which just so happen to include things like the Haunted house and bloody clowns popping out of nowhere. Selena hated clowns.

"Unfortunately, misbehaving is in my nature," Loki said, staring at a man dressed as a giant baby.

Selena glanced at him. He seemed like he wasn't having the most miserable time of his life, but there were these moments when he would get really quiet and say something in such a sincere way that she wanted to just give him a hug. But, seeing as he'd probably throttle her, she resisted.

"Puffin? Puffin, is that you?" a mock-surprised, arrogant voice said, coming from behind them.

Selena closed her eyes and sighed. She turned around. "Derek." She noticed the fake redhead beside him. "Stacy."

Loki was taking in the whole situation, from Selena's reactions to Derek and Stacy's costumes. Derek seemed to be some sort of medical professional, with "Dr. Love" sewn in on the white coat pocket. Stacy wasn't any kind of mortal health assistant he'd ever seen, but that seemed to be what she was, for she had a red stethoscope around her neck and the typical medical red cross on a hat on her head. But that was about as close to the actual nurse uniform as she got.

"Hey, 'Lena! Who's your friend?" Stacy asked in a high-pitched, seductive voice she always gave to guys she thought were attractive. Selena rolled her eyes. _Here we go again._

"Stacy, Derek, this is Chuck. Chuck, this is Stacy and Derek," she said quickly.

Derek looked Chuck up and down and apparently didn't like what he saw. "To be honest, I thought little Selena here had made you up."

Loki smirked. "No, I'm real, alright. Very, very real," he said menacingly, his green eyes piercing Derek through his mask. Selena gripped his arm and squeezed. "Are you two friends of hers?" he asked innocently.

"Uh, yeah. We're close friends. Right, 'Lena? Since freshman year," Stacy said fondly, putting a hand over heart, drawing attention to her fake double Ds. "So many memories."

Selena gagged internally. The only memories that were coming to mind were of her doing Stacy's final term paper because she "had to visit a sick aunt". Well, that "sick aunt" turned out to be Derek, so she wasn't feeling so warm and fuzzy about their relationship right now.

"It was…_lovely _to see you guys but Chuck and I want to hit the Ferris wheel before the line gets too long," she said, gently nudging Loki away from the dreaded pair. Truth was, as much as she knew how horrible Derek was to her, she still wasn't ready to see him loving up on her ex-best friend.

"Wait, how about we join you guys? Like a double date kind of thing?" Derek said slyly, staring mostly at Selena. "I didn't get a chance to tell you how beautiful you look," he whispered softly, gazing at her through sky blue eyes.

Selena gulped but looked at him coldly. "Derek, just stop. I don't know what kind of game you guys are playing but I've had enough. If you're trying to hurt me by having me see you two together, then congratulations. You've succeeded. Now excuse me while I finish my date with this extremely attractive guy," she stated, turning towards a suddenly very happy Loki.

"Selena, wait," Derek said, grabbing her arm in a very painful way, making her call out. Selena was pretty sure Derek didn't mean to hurt her but Loki didn't see it that way.

He told himself afterwards that he was just keeping up his role as Selena's human date. If you asked any one else, they would say that they saw a protective boyfriend defending his girl from some no-good douche. Whatever the reason, Loki had Derek on the ground in a half a second with his hand on his throat and lips by his ear.

"We do not know each other very well," he whispered ominously. "But I'm starting to realize that you're not too good for Selena. Let me make you a deal: do not touch her, do not talk to her, don't even look at her, and maybe I won't cut out your tongue and feed it to my horse. Understand?"

Derek nodded as much as he could with a vise at his neck. "Good." Loki released him and stood up gracefully. He took a stunned Selena by the shoulder and walked over to the Ferris wheel like nothing ever happened.

* * *

"So, let me get this straight. You insisted on taking your psycho-maniac brother back to your home planet so you could deal with him in your own weird, alien Viking way, and now he's gone? Way to go, Point Break."

Tony Stark sat down at a long glass table in the conference room with some dark drink in his hand. All the Avengers had gathered together in Stark Tower to figure out where Loki might have gone. Thor had approached Nick Fury first, but he just shook his head and said, "Deal with it." So, Thor went with his second option.

"There were a hundred guards surrounding the prison where my brother was kept," Thor stated. "All of the gates and doors were enchanted to never open, save for once a day for…punishment. Loki was chained with the hardest metal on Asgard, not unlike our Captain's shield," he said, pointing at Steve. "There is no possible way he could have escaped, unless he discovered a new spell or potion that no one has ever heard of." He turned and looked out the window. It was a quiet night, for New York City, and Thor could see a few humans roaming about on the streets. He would hate to see any mortal's life ruined because he had underestimated his brother. They had to find him.

Steve Rodgers cleared his throat. "It doesn't matter so much _how _he got out but what he's going to do now that he's out. I don't know about you guys, but even though it has only been a day, I haven't heard anything out of the ordinary going on anywhere. I say we keep on the look out for anything unusual going on."

Tony rolled his eyes. "What like mass murderers and aliens falling from the sky? Look, Loki barely made it out alive the last time he was on Earth. This time, I'm guessing he's gonna lay low until he has everything he needs, then he's gonna make his big move. Whatever that is."

"My brother is the god of mischief. There is no such thing as "laying low" for him. And it is not like he can coexist with the mortals for a while. He thinks himself above them," Thor said.

Bruce Banner looked up from his papers and sat back in his chair. "Since none of us really know what's going on, how about I check for unusual flares in radiation in the atmosphere? When Thor came to us, there was a spike in gamma rays over New York. Possibly the same thing would've happened for Loki."

Tony pushed back his chair. "That's a good idea, jolly green giant. While you do that, the rest of us can hit the bar upstairs and prepare for impending doom, what do you say?"

"I do not believe we have to worry so much about Loki destroying Earth, Tony," Thor said. "My brother had very limited power and magic when he was imprisoned on Asgard. And I do believe that he used the rest of it on his arrival to Midgard."

Tony stared at the Asgardian. "So, what you're saying is, you're brother is completely human right now."

"Yes."

"So, what the hell are we getting our panties in a bunch for?" Tony exclaimed. "Let the police handle him if he does something wrong." He turned to everyone else. "I still say we go upstairs to celebrate our non-almost-impending doom."

Natasha Romanoff stood up. "I think we should still continue our search. Even though he is mortal, he's still a crazed supremacist with a vengeance on all of us. We shouldn't underestimate him."

"Agreed," Thor stated.

Clint Barton just nodded solemnly.

Steve looked at everyone. "Alright, Bruce, you detect the radiation. Thor, see if you can remember anything that Loki did or said that would give away his location. I will keep tabs on anything unusual or threatening happening that would lead us to him. Natasha and Clint, check our weaponry and prepare for any oncoming attacks. We can never be too safe. And Tony…"

"Yes, honey?"

"Stay out of trouble."

* * *

**Please review! - SB**


	6. Chapter 6

**Enjoy and review! :) - SB**

* * *

While they waited in the short line for the Ferris wheel, Loki took Selena's silence for shocked admiration. Or maybe she was thinking of a way to thank him for protecting her from her former love interest. But after a while, and after he noticed that other people were staring at him as they walked past, he began to feel that he might have possibly did something wrong. Maybe humans didn't go around choking each other for bad behavior. _Marvelous. I've jeopardized my cover, _he thought.

He cleared his throat as they inched forward in the line. "Selena," he called sweetly. She looked up at him with wide-eyes. "I do apologize if I have made you uncomfortable with my actions. I realize that I may have crossed a line when I… attacked Derek back there. And for that I am truly sorry." He wasn't actually sorry. He enjoyed replaying the boy's terror-stricken face in his head as he slammed him into the ground. He had to bite his lip to keep from laughing aloud.

"It's okay," Selena said softly, staring at her skirt. "He was being a jerk, and he hurt me. Maybe unintentionally, but he still did it. So, thank you." She smiled at him. "Next time, though, maybe you could just try talking to people instead of trying to kill them."

_Oh, that wasn't my attempt at murder, mortal. Not even close. _He smiled brilliantly. "I give you my word."

They both got through the line in companionable silence. But Selena wasn't fooled by Loki's change in behavior, even if his smile was like looking at an angel running through a field of daisies. She hadn't been taking him seriously. Like, come on. She had taken a psychotic alien serial killer to a Halloween carnival an hour after they met. That's like taking Hitler to the prom.

Derek could've gotten killed today because of Selena's stupidity. She needed to be more alert, more direct. She needed to stop fantasizing about Loki carrying her off into the sunset. He was extremely dangerous, even if he did wear tight leather pants.

"Is it just you two today?" the curly redheaded ride operator asked them, opening the door to the Ferris wheel cart.

Selena stepped in. "Yes, it is," she said sliding to the metal seat.

Loki placed himself gingerly across from her. "Is this mechanism safe?" he asked, looking around at the rusted bars and '80s lights.

"Of course it is." Selena paused. "Well, mostly." He just looked at her with dread. She hid a smile. "We'll be fine."

The operator hit a button and they went up slowly to allow the next few people to get on in the next cart. After the operator shut their door, the Ferris wheel was full and they slowly ascended.

Selena glanced at Loki. He seemed to be lost in thought about something as he gazed out across the carnival. At that moment, he was thinking about how insignificant all these people were. Humans believed themselves to be superior to all other organisms, with their oh-so-important jobs and supposedly justified wars and genocide. Loki's plan may result in the end of all mankind but, the way he saw it, he was doing them a favor.

"So, Chuck," Selena, said suddenly. Loki turned to her. "Tell me about yourself. I mean, we are technically _living _together now, and I have no idea why." She smiled when she said it, but she was absolutely truthful.

Loki paused then sat back on the bench. "I was born in…London, England. Both my parents are still there, but my older brother is…somewhere here in America. I have come here in search for him; however, I have no idea where he is, since I have not heard from him in ages. My father is very sick and my mother was too distraught for travel so I decided to come look for him myself. The last time he wrote to us, which was a few years ago, the postcard was sent from this state. Kansas. And so, here I am."

Silence. He was such a good liar, that even Selena, who knew exactly who he was, had trouble believing he was evil. But she had seen the pictures, the articles, and the exclusive videos that all practically named him Villain of the Year.

"So, you came here looking for your brother. And you said before that you don't have money for a hotel or anything?" she questioned.

"Yes. My family used to be fairly well off until my father spent all of our money paying for my brother's various debts. You see, my brother is very immature, very reckless. He doesn't take time to think about his actions, and so our family paid for them. And after a while we ran out of funds, so my brother fled off to America to escape his troubles," he said grimly.

Selena _really _wanted to believe him. He said his story so truthfully and with such conviction in his eyes and voice. She decided to play along. "Well, I think that really sucks," Selena said, looking at him. "Having to pay the price for your brother's mistakes and everything. It wasn't like it was you or your family's fault, you know? I would be pretty upset if I were you."

Loki stared at her without a trace of humor in his face. "Precisely." Selena swallowed hard.

They finished the ride in silence and exited the Ferris wheel. Selena checked her watch. 10:45. "Do you want to start heading out now or would like to do anything…?" she asked. She was bone tired, even though the carnival didn't close until midnight.

"You seem exhausted. I wouldn't mind leaving now, anyway. The people here are very…strange," he smiled, maintaining his cheery Chuck cover. They began walking back towards the exit. "So, I've told you a little about myself back there. What about you? You are also a stranger to me, as well," he pointed out.

Selena thought about it She was not really used to giving her backstory to people. She straightened her frizzy ponytail. "Well, I, uh, was born here. In Lawrence. I lived here with my mom and my dad and I don't have any siblings. My parents died in a fire when I was five and so I went to live with my aunt and uncle and their daughter in Denver until I moved back here to go to college. That's pretty much it, I guess," she shrugged.

"So, your aunt and uncle were pretty much your adopted parents until you left?" Loki asked nonchalantly.

"Pretty much. Though, I kind of always felt, sort of…cast aside, to be honest."

"How so?"

"Well, I know they loved me and cared for me and that they tried their hardest to make me feel like part of the family, but, you know, I wasn't their kid. Their daughter, Chelsea, was the light of their life and they were so proud of her cheerleading and modeling, and that of course is understandable. It's just…I wasn't that type of person. I don't really like sports and stuff. I'm more of the bookworm type. And they really didn't know how to relate to that. So most of the time, they just didn't ask about it or about what I was interested in or about how I was feeling. Most things were Chelsea-centered," she remembered. She blinked and realized what she was saying. "But, I'm complaining. It really wasn't that bad. There were some fun times."

Loki stared at the sky as he walked. "They could've tried harder," he said softly.

"What?"

"They could've tried harder to include you. To make you feel like you were part of the family and even though you weren't."

Selena tried to smile. "It wasn't that bad, really. Like I said, I was complaining. We were a well-to-do family and they gave me whatever I wanted and took me wherever I wanted to go. It was fine really. And besides, it wasn't their fault I was there. They did the best they could."

Loki was silent. He still thought the human girl was just as irrelevant as the rest of the human race. However, he could relate to how she felt and how she was treated. He remembered being pushed aside to let Thor shine. He remembered feeling like scum, like he was worthless, and he remembered having no one to turn to. He remembered getting whatever he wanted, too, but none of that mattered. Two entire planets (three, if you counted Jotunheim, which he did) treated him like an unwanted, insignificant fugitive. And so now everyone must pay.

* * *

**Please review!- SB**


	7. Chapter 7

Selena woke up to the smell of baking bread.

She had slept like the dead in her room last night, after she had cleaned up the glass and put a towel over the remaining hole in her window. She promised herself she would save up and get someone to fix it as soon as possible. Loki had slept on the couch, to his dismay, but he didn't have any other choice, seeing as there were no beds in the spare rooms.

"Is he…cooking?" she murmured to herself, slowly walking towards her door. She could hear a lady's voice on the television as she inched down the hallway.

"Now we're gonna add three eggs to the bowl and a dash of cinnamon for that kick of flavor," Paula Deen crooned in her spotless, white apron. Selena turned the corner and saw Loki behind the kitchen counter, staring at the tv screen in the living room. After inspecting the label thoroughly, he gingerly shook out cinnamon into a large yellow bowl.

Selena stared at him. "What are you doing?" He looked up at her for a moment then returned the screen, adding more ingredients. He was wearing her apron that made it look like you were hot chick wearing a bikini. It was far too short for him but he didn't seem to care. He was also wearing lab goggles, latex gloves, and a surgical mask. If you took away the apron, it would look like he was working with radioactive materials.

"I am attempting to create French toast and honey biscuits. This woman on your television is advising me on how to go about it, however, she is very rapid," he said distractedly from behind the mask. "Do you enjoy French toast? I thought it could atone for the damaged window."

She was shocked. _He _was cooking for _her? _This was crazy. "I do enjoy French toast. But, where did you get all the stuff for it? I ran out of eggs yesterday," she asked, sitting down on a barstool.

"I went to the market."

"_You _went into a grocery store?!" she exclaimed. He looked at her. "I mean, not that you couldn't. I just…" she thought of something. "I thought you were broke?"

Loki put down the whisk. "Yes, well, I recently attained capital," he said nonchalantly.

"How?"

He stared at her. "Do you really wish to know?"

She gulped. Did she? Did she want to know? What if he mugged someone? What if he robbed a bank? Did she want to be responsible if the police questioned her? Probably not. She shook her head and he went back to work. But eventually the silence was killing her.

"How much did you get?"

"Enough."

"Enough for what?"

"Enough to sustain our well-being for the next couple of months."

_Oh, God. _"Okay then," she said slowly. "I'm just gonna take a shower and…um…wait until breakfast is ready." He didn't respond. He was too caught up in Paula's insistence for butter.

After her shower, Selena threw on her work clothes and returned to the kitchen. Loki was finished with his cooking, and the dishes had been set out on the island. The plates and utensils that Loki had used had been washed and put away.

"Chuck," she started, and he looked at her, tearing his eyes away from the Kardashians on the screen. "Thanks for this. I really do appreciate it."

He blinked at her, and then slowly smiled. "I am sure that I will become a great…nuisance to you very soon. The least I can do is make you breakfast."

Selena wasn't sure that he was kidding, but she smiled anyway. "Well, cool. But, I'm going to have to eat fast. I have to work today."

"You are leaving?"

"Yes."

He paused. "For how long?"

She glanced at her watch. "Um…I have a long shift today. I work until 5."

"So, I will be alone for seven hours."

Selena narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, sorry. If I'd known I was having company, I would've taken off."

Loki smirked. "Actually, that will give me some time to do a few things," he said thoughtfully.

She walked towards him and crossed her arms. "Like what?"

"Nothing important."

She was going to keep prying him but, unless she wanted him find out that she knew who, and what, he was, she had to back off. "Okay, but if I come back and something is stolen or broken, I'm calling the police."

"Duly noted," he stated.

Bruce stared at the computer screen as he read the radiation levels across the nation. He didn't set it to monitor the entire planet because, one, it would take too long, and two, he thought that Loki might try his luck in America first before venturing out. He didn't know why he thought that, he just did.

He glanced over the red waves indicating high energy levels and jotted down notes in his journal. He looked up.

"Jarvis?" he called.

"Yes, Mr. Banner," the automated system replied.

"Could you gather up everyone in the lab for me, please?"

"Right away, Mr. Banner."

Bruce nodded and waited. He would usually go get the rest of team himself, but why have technology if you won't use it, right?

In a few minutes, Tony, Steve, and Thor sauntered one by one into the large, glass room.

"Where are Natasha and Clint?" Bruce asked.

"The assassin couple went to some sort of meeting with Fury," Tony shrugged, leaning on one of the counters. "Probably something to do with mob bosses or terrorists. Ya know, the usual."

"What've you found out?" Steve said seriously, getting to the point.

Bruce glanced down at his notes and at the transparent screen. "Well, I think I've pinpointed Loki's location."

Thor stepped forward. "You have found my brother?"

"That's what he said, Hercules," Tony murmured. Thor glared at him.

"According to these radiation levels," Bruce continued, "Loki was transported from Asgard to somewhere in Northeastern Kansas."

There was a slight pause.

Tony let out a loud laugh. "Kansas?! I thought that place was made up for that movie with the munchkins."

"The Wizard of Oz," Steve answered, somewhat proudly.

Thor spoke up. "This Kansas, we must go there at once. My brother must be brought back home."

Tony shook his head. "Look, I still don't see what the problem is. I know it's only been a day but, if what you said is true, Loki's defenseless. He's probably wandering around some cornfield wondering how he got there. He's got no money, no clothes, and, most importantly, no friends." Thor winced at this. "Our faces, including his, has been plastered all over the news for five months. If he does meet someone, they'll probably run screaming in the other direction. He's no threat to us right now, so I say we throw a party and wait until something happens. Like a normal Saturday night."

Thor thought this through. "Your words contain some truth. However, I still insist that we monitor him more closely."

Steve nodded. "I agree with Thor. We are too far away to contain him quick enough if he starts whacking people. The last time that happened, we were more than eighty people too late."

"Okay," Bruce said after a moment. "How about we get Natasha and Clint back here, then we head over to…" He checked the map on the screen. "…Kansas City and set up shop. At least there, we can be accessible if anything comes up."

Steve and Thor nodded. Tony sighed. "Well, alright, but if they have crappy beer in Munchinland, then I'm haulin' ass back to New York City."


End file.
